A stunning tribute to the imagination

Rating: 9/10 (16 February 2002)

Director Guiseppe Tornatore and composer Ennio Morricone are the true "stars" of this movie. It is not often one is allowed the exquisite pleasure of two geniuses working in tandem. Anyone who knows the true meaning of creative power, or anyone with at least an inkling of curiosity as to the true meaning and potential of the human imagination should feast on this smorgasbord of inspiration. Tim Roth is unforgettable. MÃ©lanie Thierry's enigmatic beauty, I'm sure, is also not easily forgotten. But I do think Pruitt Taylor Vince is miscast in this film. He does an earnest piece of craftsmanship, but his interpretation of the character Max seems to me to create a dissonance in the movie that I could do without.